


Oh My Love

by doctortrekkie



Series: Break Me Down and Build Me Up [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Engagement, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, I'm going to mark this complete, I've finally broken from the Imagine Dragons naming theme, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The Shepherds Being Weird, Traditions, but I'll update it sporadically, go me, it's really like a series of connected oneshots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 18:44:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17147084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctortrekkie/pseuds/doctortrekkie
Summary: The Shepherds have a few traditions, but there is one that must be adhered to under any circumstances. It's a celebration, they've decided—a way to shower a newly-engaged couple with well wishes and toast to their impending union. It's been noted the traditional way of doing this typically would involve, perhaps, a congratulatory dinner.The Shepherds throw the bride- and groom-to-be in the nearest lake.(Takes place at various points in the timeline of Whatever It Takes, beginning in April 1012)





	Oh My Love

**Author's Note:**

> I decided the Shepherds needed to do a stupid hazing tradition for engaged couples. This is what came out. You're welcome. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

_Oh my love, let me be your fire, we’re a thousand miles up and I’m ‘bout to get higher..._

 

_April 1012_

Some would say the tradition started with Chrom and Olivia, although others argued it would be more accurate to say the tradition started with _Vaike._

Winter had come and gone, leaving warm breezes and bright blossoms in its wake. The wariness that had hung heavy over their heads through the cold months had lifted—Gaius and a few mysterious others (Robin had insisted she’d seen Laslow and Odin, although she’d been the only one to say so) had taken care of the band of assassins threatening Lissa, which meant for the first time since Emmeryn’s assassination Ylisse was truly at peace.

Chrom had decided to take advantage.

 _“I think I love you. And I know that’s madness! I_ know _it!”_

And, caught in the same madness, vowing to never draw a sane breath again, Olivia had said yes. Chrom had never felt his heart lift the way it did when he caught sight of his ring on her finger.

Of course, this did lead to the matter of telling everyone else. So he’d gathered the Shepherds out by the palace lake—it seemed an appropriately picturesque location for such an announcement—and found himself standing on the edge of the dock for visibility.

“Shepherds,” Chrom said gravely, looking out over the sea of familiar faces. Virion had returned to his homeland at the end of the Plegian War, but nearly everyone else in the company had gathered. Robin stood on one flank, with a knowing smile on her face—of course he’d told her of his plans beforehand—and Olivia herself had ducked her head with a blush, but the rest had assorted looks of puzzlement on their faces. “I bring you here to deliver news of grave importance.”

“Something wrong, Blue?” Gaius asked. “Ya sound a little sour over there.”

Chrom let a smile quirk his lips. “Ah, quite the opposite actually. As it stands—”

“Milord, are you sure you’re well?” Frederick interjected. “You seem flushed. Do you require a healer?”

“No, Frederick, I assure you I’m quite fine.” Chrom cleared his throat. “I simply wanted to inform you—”

“Hey, if this is about the thing with the frogs, I was only kidding!” Lissa interrupted. “Just a joke! Right, Donnel?”

“Er, yeah,” the farm boy said. “Joke. Right, gotcha.”

“Uh, what thing with the frogs?” Chrom asked. “And no, that’s not what I’m talking about. What I wanted to say was—”

“Since we’re all here, we should play a game!” Nowi cried. “How about Duck, Duck, Goose?”

“Can everyone _please_ just be quiet for a moment so I can tell—”

“Chrom and I are getting married!”

Olivia’s voice silenced the din in an instant. The dancer ducked her head, flushing red as the entire ensemble of Shepherds turned to look at her.

Chrom, as well, began to turn a light shade of pink as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “Ah. Well, yes, that is what I was getting at.”

A very, very long silence dragged out, before practically every voice sounded at once.

“Milord, why didn’t you inform us—”

“—I’m getting a new _sister?”_

“Ha! Gregor thought it was about time!”

“Oh, darlings, how exciting!”

While most everyone had stayed in place, a few of them circling around Olivia with eager congratulations, Chrom had stayed frozen up on the dock, letting out a light cough of embarrassment. “Honestly, everyone, it doesn’t need to be _that_ big of a deal—”

“Of course it’s a big deal!” Vaike cried. “Aww, man, ol’ Teach always knew ya had it in ya, Chrom!” The bulky axeman stumbled toward Chrom, arms outstretched. “I’m so proud of my rival!”

“Ah, yes, Vaike, thank you,” Chrom said, suddenly regretting the fact that he’d decided to make a big deal out of this thing at all.

And regretting it even more when Vaike tumbled into him, misjudging the force of his celebratory embrace and sending Chrom plummeting unceremoniously back into the lake.

The Exalt-to-be surfaced again a moment later, sweeping hair out of his eyes and sputtering, suddenly glad he hadn’t decided to do this any earlier in the year. “Vaike!”

“Aww, crap, I’m sorry!” Vaike called from up above. “I didn’t mean to get’cha that hard!”

Chrom merely huffed and shook his head, knowing better than to try to wrangle the Shepherds into any sort of dignity at this point. Another long silence stretched out.

“Are you all right, milord?” Frederick finally called.

“Yes, Frederick, I’m fine.” Chrom sighed, trying to figure out how he was going to haul himself up out of the water and realizing abruptly that no one else had actually moved.

No one except his fiancée, that is.

Olivia burst from the crowd of Shepherds at a run, darting over the dock and past Vaike before plummeting into the lake in a graceful, elegant dive.

She popped back up no more than two feet from Chrom, pink braids swirling in the water and a remarkably cheeky grin on her face. “What was that for?” he asked, and she suddenly ducked her head again, face turning to match her hair.

“I… I’m not sure,” she admitted. “It’s just… you looked so adorable, all… flustered and—”

He cut her off with a firm kiss, hands coming to rest on either side of her face as she brought hers up to land on his shoulders. They both ignored the whooping and hollering coming from the edge of the lake. “You’re not half-bad yourself,” he said lowly, treading lightly to keep them both afloat.

Olivia gave a _very_ high-pitched giggle, burying her face against his shoulder.

“Encore!” someone shouted.

“Oh, gods,” Olivia muttered.

Chrom chuckled. “You know this madness of ours?” he asked.

“Yeah?”

“I really hope it isn’t catching, or our army’s in trouble.”


End file.
